Retrieval and playout of media content

ABSTRACT

An example method involves accessing a playlist defining a sequence of media content items including a first media content item and a second media content item; retrieving, from one or more server devices, first data representing the media content items of the received playlist, and using the retrieved first data to playout the media content items in accordance with the sequence defined by the playlist; determining a status of an event, and using the determined status of the event as a basis to determine a condition; making a determination that the determined condition has been satisfied; and responsive to making the determination that the determined condition has been satisfied, (i) retrieving second data representing a media content item related to the event, and (ii) using the retrieved second data to playout the media content item related to the event in between playing out the first and second media content items.

USAGE AND TERMINOLOGY

In this disclosure, unless otherwise specified and/or unless theparticular context clearly dictates otherwise, each usage of “a” or “an”means at least one, and each usage of “the” means the at least one.

BACKGROUND

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in thissection are not prior art to the claims in this disclosure and are notadmitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

To listen to the radio, a listener typically tunes a receiver to aparticular frequency (e.g., an AM or FM frequency) and listens to music,news, or other audible content being broadcast on that frequency by aradio station. The listener may tune the receiver, and therefore selecta radio station, in a variety of ways, such as by rotating a dial,pushing a seek button, or pushing a station preset button. By selectingone of multiple radio stations, the listener may exert some control overthe audible content presented to the listener. However, although thelistener may control which station is selected, the listener is unlikelyto have any influence over the audible content that gets broadcast bythe selected station.

Typically, a radio station broadcasts the same audible content tomultiple receivers, and therefore to multiple listeners, at the sametime. Given this, it is common for a radio station to produce andbroadcast audible content that is intended to appeal to a variety ofdifferent listeners. However, while some listeners may find such audiblecontent appealing, other listeners may find it unappealing because it isnot tailored to their particular interests.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a method is disclosed. The method involves (i) accessinga playlist defining a sequence of media content items including a firstmedia content item and a second media content item; (ii) retrieving,from one or more server devices, first data representing the mediacontent items of the received playlist, and using the retrieved firstdata to playout the media content items in accordance with the sequencedefined by the playlist; (iii) determining a status of an event, andusing the determined status of the event as a basis to determine acondition; (iv) making a determination that the determined condition hasbeen satisfied; and (v) responsive to making the determination that thedetermined condition has been satisfied, (a) retrieving second datarepresenting a media content item related to the event, and (b) usingthe retrieved second data to playout the media content item related tothe event in between playing out the first and second media contentitems.

In another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium isdisclosed. The medium has stored thereon program instructions that whenexecuted by a processor cause performance of a set of acts. The set ofacts includes (i) accessing a playlist defining a sequence of mediacontent items including a first media content item and a second mediacontent item; (ii) retrieving, from one or more server devices, firstdata representing the media content items of the received playlist, andusing the retrieved first data to playout the media content items inaccordance with the sequence defined by the playlist; (iii) determininga status of an event, and using the determined status of the event as abasis to determine a condition; (iv) making a determination that thedetermined condition has been satisfied; and (v) responsive to makingthe determination that the determined condition has been satisfied, (a)retrieving second data representing a media content item related to theevent, and (b) using the retrieved second data to playout the mediacontent item related to the event in between playing out the first andsecond media content items.

In another aspect, a method is disclosed. The method involves (i)accessing a playlist defining a sequence of media content itemsincluding a first media content item and a second media content item;(ii) determining a status of an event, and using the determined statusof the event as a basis to determine a condition; (iii) making adetermination that the determined condition has been satisfied; and (iv)responsive to making the determination that the determined condition hasbeen satisfied, (a) retrieving second data representing a media contentitem related to the event, and (b) transmitting to the client device,the retrieved second data for playout of the media content item relatedto the event in between playing out the first and second media contentitems.

In another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium isdisclosed. The medium has stored thereon program instructions that whenexecuted by a processor cause performance of a set of acts. The set ofacts includes (i) accessing a playlist defining a sequence of mediacontent items including a first media content item and a second mediacontent item; (ii) determining a status of an event, and using thedetermined status of the event as a basis to determine a condition;(iii) making a determination that the determined condition has beensatisfied; and (iv) responsive to making the determination that thedetermined condition has been satisfied, (a) retrieving second datarepresenting a media content item related to the event, and (b)transmitting to the client device, the retrieved second data for playoutof the media content item related to the event in between playing outthe first and second media content items.

These, as well as other aspects, advantages, and alternatives, willbecome apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading thefollowing detailed description, with reference where appropriate to theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of an example system;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart depicting functions of an example method;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example playlist template;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example playlist;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting functions of another example method;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart depicting functions of another example method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

I. Overview

As indicated above, a radio station may produce and broadcast audiblecontent that is intended to appeal to a variety of different listeners.For example, in the context of producing and broadcasting a newsprogram, a narrator (such as a news anchor affiliated with the radiostation, or another person) may read aloud news stories from each of avariety of different predetermined categories, such as sports, politics,and entertainment, and the readings may be included as part of the newsprogram.

Although some listeners may be interested in audible versions of newsstories from all of the predetermined categories, other listeners mayhave different interests. For example, one listener may be interested insports and entertainment, but not politics, while another listener maybe interested in politics and entertainment, but not sports. In eithercase, the listener may be presented with audible content that does notalign with the listener's interests. As a result, the listener may findthe news program unappealing.

One way to help address this issue is by implementing a system thatprovides a user with a personalized news program. In one aspect, such asystem may include at least two computing devices, such as a server anda client, and a communication network through which the server and theclient may communicate.

In this system, the server and the client may perform a variety of acts.For example, the server may determine a set of attributes associatedwith a user of the client and may use the determined set of attributesas a basis to generate a playlist of a personalized news program for theuser. The generated playlist may define a sequence of media contentitems, each of which may include audio content, such as an audibleversion of a news story, and/or video content. An audible version of anews story may be referred to herein as an “audible news story.” Thegenerated playlist may also define media content attribute datarespectively for each media content item, including for instance areference to data representing the media content item and metadatacharacterizing the media content item. Collectively, this sequence ofmedia content items may thus makeup a personalized news program.

After or as the server generates the playlist, the server may transmitthe playlist to the client, and the client may traverse the entries ofthe playlist, retrieve data representing each referenced media contentitem, and use the data to playout each referenced media content item inaccordance with the sequence defined by the playlist. In practice, forinstance, for each media content item of the sequence, (i) the clientmay transmit to the server, or to another server for that matter, arequest for data representing the media content item, (ii) the servermay receive the transmitted request, (iii) responsive to the serverreceiving the transmitted request, the server may transmit to theclient, the requested data, (iv) the client may receive the transmitteddata, and (v) the client may playout for the user the media content itemrepresented by the received data.

Optimally, this process may involve streaming of the data representingthe media content items to the client and playout of the sequence ofmedia content items in real time by the client. In particular, for eachmedia content item referenced by the playlist, the client may request aserver to stream the data representing the media content item to theclient, and the client may then receive in response a data streamrepresenting the requested media content item. As the client receivesand buffers the requested data representing the media content items insequence, the client may playout the represented media content items fora user, thus providing the user with a substantially continuous playoutof the media content items that makeup the personalized news program.

In accordance with the present disclosure, another way to help render anews program, or for that matter any sequence of media content items,more appealing to a user is for the client to retrieve data representinga particular media content item that is not referenced in the playlist,and for the client to use the retrieved data to playout the particularmedia content item by inserting it into the news program at a particularposition in the news program.

In one example, the particular media content item may relate to anevent. The client may determine a status of the event, and use thedetermined status of the event as a basis to determine a condition.Then, the client may determine that the determined condition has beensatisfied, and in response, the client may (i) retrieve datarepresenting the particular media content item, and (ii) use theretrieved data to playout the particular media content item in betweenplaying out two media content items referenced by the playlist.

To illustrate the effect of this feature, consider the following twoexamples that relate to a particular type of event, namely a baseballgame. For these examples, it is assumed that at a first time, the gameis in progress, and at a second time, the game is concluded (i.e., thegame is not in progress).

In a first example, the client may access a first playlist defining asequence of media content items including a first media content item anda second media content item. Note that throughout this disclosure, anyuse of a numerical modifier (e.g., “first” or “second”) does not imply asequential order unless explicitly indicated. At the first time, perhapswhile the first media content item is being played out, the client maydetermine that the game is in progress. The client may the use thisdetermined status of the game as basis to determine a first condition,which may be a condition that at least five minutes have passed sinceanother media content item related to the game has been played out inconnection with a separation between media content items of theplaylist. The client may then determine that the condition has beensatisfied, and in response, the client may (i) retrieve datarepresenting a particular media content item providing a score of thegame, and (ii) use the retrieved data to playout the particular mediacontent item in between playing out the first and second media contentitems.

For comparison, in a second example, the client may access a secondplaylist defining a sequence of media content items including a thirdmedia content item and a fourth media content item. At the second time,perhaps while the third media content item is being played out, theclient may determine that the game is not in progress. The client maythe use this determined status of the game as basis to determine asecond condition, which may be a condition that at least thirty minuteshave passed since another media content item related to the game hasbeen played out in connection with a separation between media contentitems of the playlist. The client may then determine that the conditionhas been satisfied, and in response, the client may (i) retrieve datarepresenting a particular media content item providing a score of thegame, and (ii) use the retrieved data to playout the particular mediacontent item in between playing out the third and fourth media contentitems.

As illustrated by the two examples above, the client may use the statusof the baseball game as a basis to determine when it will insert into asequence of media content items, a media content item providing a scoreof the game. Indeed, according to these examples, if the game is inprogress, the client may insert the media content item providing thescore more frequently than if the game is not in progress. This may beappealing to a user who may prefer to receive score information morefrequently while the game is in progress.

II. Example System

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of an example system 100 in whichaspects of the present disclosure can be implemented. As shown, thesystem 100 includes at least two computing devices, namely a server 102and a client 104, and a communication network 106. Generally, the server102 and the client 104 are configured for communicating with each othervia the communication network 106.

A. Server

The server 102 may be configured for performing a variety of functionsor acts, such as those described in this disclosure (including theaccompanying drawings). The server 102 may take a variety of forms andmay include various components, including for example, a communicationinterface 108, a processor 110, and a data storage 112, all of which maybe communicatively linked to each other via a system bus, network, orother connection mechanism 114.

The communication interface 108 may take a variety of forms and may beconfigured to allow the server 102 to communicate with one or moredevices according to any number of protocols. For instance, thecommunication interface 108 may be configured to allow the server 102 tocommunicate with the client 104 via the communication network 106. Inone example, the communication interface 108 may take the form of awired interface, such as an Ethernet interface. As another example, thecommunication interface 108 may take the form of a wireless interface,such as a cellular or WI-FI interface.

The processor 110 may include a general purpose processor (e.g., amicroprocessor) and/or a special purpose processor (e.g., a digitalsignal processors (DSP)).

The data storage 112 may include one or more volatile, non-volatile,removable, and/or non-removable storage components, such as magnetic,optical, or flash storage, and may be integrated in whole or in partwith the processor 110. Further, the data storage 112 may take the formof a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having storedthereon program instructions (e.g., compiled or non-compiled programlogic and/or machine code) that, when executed by the processor 110,cause the server 102 to perform one or more functions or acts, such asthose described in this disclosure.

B. Client

Likewise, the client 104 may be configured for performing a variety offunctions or acts such as those described in this disclosure. The client104 may take a variety of forms, including for example, a mobile phone,tablet, laptop, media player, gaming device, wearable device, orvehicle. And the client 104 may include various components, includingfor example, a user interface 116, a communication interface 118, aprocessor 120, and a data storage 122, all of which may becommunicatively linked with each other via a system bus, network, orother connection mechanism 124.

The user interface 116 may be configured for facilitating interactionbetween the client 104 and a user of the client 104, such as byreceiving input from the user and providing output to the user. Thus,the user interface 116 may include input components such as a computermouse, a keyboard, a touch-sensitive panel, or perhaps a microphone forreceiving voice commands. In addition, the user interface 116 mayinclude output components such as a display screen (which, for example,may be combined with a touch-sensitive panel) a sound speaker or otheraudio output mechanism, and a haptic feedback system. Furthermore, theuser interface 116 may include a digital-analog conversion unit tofacilitate playout of media content to a user. Moreover, the client 102may provide output to the user via another user interface system (e.g.,the client 102 may communicate with an audio output system via a shortrange wireless communication, such as a connection established inaccordance with IEEE 802.15).

The communication interface 118 may take a variety of forms and may beconfigured to allow the client 104 to communicate with one or moredevices according to any number of protocols. For instance, thecommunication interface 118 may be configured to allow the client 104 tocommunicate with the server 102 via the communication network 106.Further, the communication interface 118 may take the form of a wired orwireless interface.

The processor 120 may include a general purpose processor and/or aspecial purpose processor. The data storage 122 may include one or morevolatile, non-volatile, removable, and/or non-removable storagecomponents, and may be integrated in whole or in part with the processor120. Further, the data storage 122 may take the form of a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon programinstructions that, when executed by the processor 120, cause the client104 to perform one or more functions or acts, such as those described inthis disclosure. Such program instructions may define or be part of adiscrete software application, such a native app or web app, that can beexecuted upon user request for instance.

C. Communication Network

Generally, the communication network 106 may be configured to allow theserver 102 and the client 104 to communicate with each other using anynumber of protocols. In addition, the communication network 106 may takea variety of forms, including for example a packet-switched network suchas the Internet.

III. Example Operations

Methods of this disclosure will now be described principally inconnection with providing a personalized news program to a user of theclient 104. It will be understood, however, that this disclosure canextend to apply with respect to providing other types of media contentas well, not necessarily limited to personalized news programs.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart depicting acts that can be carried out in anexample method for providing a user of the client 104 with apersonalized news program. At block 202, the method involves the server102 determining a set of (i.e., one or more) attributes associated witha user of the client 104. At block 204, the method involves the server102 using the determined set of attributes as a basis to generate aplaylist of a personalized news program for the user. At block 206, themethod involves the server 102 transmitting the generated playlist tothe client 104, and at block 208, the method involves the client 104receiving the transmitted playlist. At block 210, the method involvesthe client 104 traversing the received playlist, and for each mediacontent item referenced by the playlist, (i) the client transmitting tothe server a request for data representing that referenced media contentitem, (ii) the server receiving the transmitted request, (iii)responsive to the server receiving the transmitted request, the servertransmitting the requested data to the client, (iv) the client receivingthe transmitted data, and (v) the client using the received data toplayout the represented media content item for the user.

In this process, each user-associated attribute that the server 102determines may take various forms. By way of example, each attribute mayrelate to one or more of the following: the user's extent of interest ina particular type of news story, the user's interest in a particulartype of audible news story, whether the user has a subscription to anews-related product or service (e.g., a newspaper subscription), theuser's age, the user's gender, the user's current location, the user'sdestined location (e.g., a location to which the user is driving), theweather at the user's current location, the weather at the user'sdestined location, and the user's estimated travel time between theuser's current location and the user's destined location.

Further, the act of the server 102 determining the set of attributesassociated with the user may take various forms. In one exampleimplementation, for instance, the server 102 may receive from the client104 an identification of the user of the client 104, and the server 102may then refer to one or more data sources that correlate or facilitatecorrelation of that identification with an attribute, so as to determinean attribute associated with the user.

In another example implementation, the client 104 may determine auser-associated attribute and may report the determined attribute to theserver 102, in which case the server would determine the user-associatedattribute by receiving the reported attribute from the client 104. Tofacilitate this, the client 104 may provide a configuration interfacethrough which the user can manually enter or select a user-associatedattribute, and the client 104 may thus determine the user-associatedattribute by receiving user indications of the user-associated attributethrough that interface. Alternatively or additionally, the client 104may determine a user-associated attribute by evaluating informationassociated with the user, such as user profile records, browsinghistory, shopping history, location history, and the like. Otherexamples are possible as well.

For this purpose, the client 104 may determine the attribute associatedwith the user in a variety of ways. As one example, the client 104 mayreceive the attribute as input from the user. As another example, theclient 104 may receive other input from the user, and the client 104 mayuse the input as a basis to determine the attribute. For instance, theclient 104 may receive input from the user, such as the user's destinedlocation, and the client 104 may use a positioning device and anavigation software application to determine the user's estimated traveltime from the user's current location to the user's destined location.In some instances, the client may communicate with the server 102 oranother server, such as a server affiliated with the mappingapplication, to determine such an attribute. Other example techniquesfor determining an attribute associated with a user are possible aswell.

The server 102 may then use the determined set of attributes associatedwith the user in various ways to generate the playlist of thepersonalized news program for the user. For instance, based on the setof user-associated attributes, the server 102 may select particularaudible news stories or types of audible news stories to specify asmedia content items in the playlist. As such, the server 102 may beconfigured with data that maps particular sets of user-associatedattributes with particular types of audible news stories, possiblygiving more weight to inclusion of certain types of audible news storiesthan to other types of audible news stories. For example, the data mayindicate that a particular set of user-associated attributes suggestsmore likely user interest in entertainment news than in politics news,in which case the server 102 may structure the playlist to specify agreater extent of entertainment-related audible news stories thanpolitics-related audible news stories. As another example, the data mayindicate that a particular set of user-associated attributes suggestsgreat user interest in sports, in which case the server 102 maystructure the playlist to specify a relatively great extent ofsports-related audible news stories.

In some examples, an audible news story's type may be defined by a setof attributes associated with the audible news story, examples of whichmay include or relate to one or more of the following: the audible newsstory's content category, the audible news story's target demographic(e.g., by age, gender, or location), the audible news story's creationdate, the audible news story's author or other attribution information,the extent of popularity of the audible news story, the extent ofpopularity of a person or topic related to the audible news story, orthe manner in which data representing the audible news story wasgenerated.

These attributes may be stored in a variety of ways. For example, theymay be stored as metadata along with the data representing the audiblenews story to which they correspond. These attributes may also be set ina variety of different ways, such as by a user via a user interface.

As indicated above, a media content item such as an audible news storymay be represented by data. This data may be generated in a variety ofways. For example, the server 102 may generate data representing anaudible news story by recording a narrator reading aloud a text-basedversion of the news story, or by using a well-known text-to-speech (TTS)software and/or hardware system to convert data representing atext-based version of a news story into data representing an audibleversion of the news story. Further, data representing a media contentitem may be stored in a variety of ways. For example, the data may bestored in the form of a digital audio file in a data storage, such asthe data storage 112.

In one implementation, the act of the server 102 using the determinedset of attributes associated with the user as a basis to generate aplaylist of a personalized news program for the user may involve theserver 102 (i) using the determined set of attributes associated withthe user as a basis to select a playlist template from a group oftemplates (e.g., stored in the data storage 112), (ii) using theselected playlist template as a basis to select a set of audible newsstories from a group of audible news stories (e.g., stored in the datastorage 112), and (iii) generating a playlist that includes referencesto each audible news story from the selected set of audible newsstories.

Generally, a playlist template serves as an outline for a playlist andmay define a sequence of placeholders for media content attribute data.For each of these placeholders, the playlist template may furtherspecify placeholder attribute data. Based on this placeholder attributedata, the server 102 may select a set of audible news stories, andreplace that placeholder with media content attribute data for theselected set of audible news stories, thereby converting the playlisttemplate into a playlist.

There may be a variety of different types of placeholder attribute data,examples of which may include a quantity tag and a type tag. A quantitytag specifies a quantity of audible news stories that the server 102should select for the corresponding placeholder. And the type tagspecifies the particular types of audible news stories that the server102 should select for the corresponding placeholder.

In line with the discussion above, the playlist that the server 102generates may define an ordered sequence of entries, each of whichprovides media content attribute data regarding a respective mediacontent item, such as a particular audible news story. In practice, theplaylist may provide this information in various ways, such as with useof extensible markup language (XML) for instance, in a manner that theclient 104 would be configured to read.

For a given media content item, the media content attribute data mayinclude a reference to the data representing the media content item,such as a network address or content identifier that the client 104 canread and use as a basis to request and receive the data representing themedia content item for playout of the represented media content item.Thus, the client 104 may read the reference indicated for a given mediacontent item to determine a network address or the like from which toobtain the data representing the media content item, and the client 104may request and receive the data representing the media content itemfrom that network address or by otherwise using the indicated reference.

Such a reference may have various levels of granularity. By way ofexample, the reference may be specific to data representing a particularaudible news story, by specifying a particular story identifier or nameof a news story media file for instance, in which case the client 104could request the server 102 to transmit that data representing thatparticular audible news story and the server 102 could retrieve thatdata representing that particular audible news story from data storageand transmit it to the client 104. And as another example, the referencemay be more general, specifying a class of news story, such as “sports”or “politics” for instance, in which case the client 104 could requestthe server 102 to transmit data representing an audible news story ofthat class generally, and the server 102 may then retrieve datarepresenting a latest or most pertinent audible news story of that classand transmit it to the client 104. Further, any or all of thesereferences may refer to locations other than server 102, such as to oneor more other servers for instance.

Further, the server 102 may transmit the generated playlist to theclient 104, and the client 104 may receive the generated playlist, invarious ways. By way of example, the client 104 may transmit to theserver 102 a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request or the likeseeking the playlist, and the server 102 may respond by generating theplaylist and transmitting the playlist to the client 104 in an HTTPresponse or the like.

Continuing with reference to FIG. 2, as noted above, at block 210, themethod involves the client 104 traversing the received playlist, and foreach media content item of the sequence, (i) the client transmitting tothe server, a request for data representing the media content item, (ii)the server receiving the transmitted request, (iii) responsive to theserver receiving the transmitted request, the server transmitting to theclient, the requested data, (iv) the client receiving the transmitteddata, and (v) the client using the received data to playout therepresented media content item for the user.

As further noted above, this process may involve streaming of the datarepresenting the media content item from the server 102, or from one ormore other servers, to the client 104. In practice, for instance, as theclient 104 traverses the playlist, the client 104 may read eachsuccessive entry to determine the reference that the entry specifies fora media content item, and the client may transmit to the server 102 arequest for the server 102 to stream the data representing that mediacontent item to the client 104. To facilitate this, the client 104 mayengage in signaling with the server 102 in accordance with the Real TimeStreaming Protocol (RTSP), to establish a streaming media session and tospecify the data representing the media content to be streamed, and theserver 102 may stream the requested data to the client 104 in accordancewith the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP). As the client 104 receivesthis streamed data, the client 104 may then buffer and playout thecontent represented by the data in real time, providing the user withsubstantially continuous playout of the news program.

To help appreciate operation of this process, FIG. 3 shows an exampleplaylist template 300. The template 300 includes nine ordered entries302, 304, 306, 308, 310, 312, 314, 316, and 318. Each of the entriesserves as a placeholder for media content attribute data. And each ofthose entries includes placeholder attribute data, namely a quantity tagand a type tag. For example, the entry 302 includes a quantity tag thatspecifies “3” and a type tag that specifies a “Sports” content categorytype. As another example, the entry 304 includes a quantity tag thatspecifies “2” and a type tag that specifies a “Politics” contentcategory type.

As indicated above in connection with block 204, the method may involvethe server 102 using the selected playlist template as a basis to selecta set of audible news stories from a group of audible news stories. Thismay involve, for each entry that serves as a placeholder of mediacontent attribute data, the server 102 using the quantity and type tagsof that entry as a basis to select a set of audible news stories. Forexample, for the entry 302, the server 102 may select a set of threeaudible news stories that are all associated with a “sports” contentcategory attribute. As another example, for the entry 304, the server102 may select a set of two audible news stories that are all associatedwith a “politics” content category attribute.

Additionally or alternatively, the server 102 may determine an attributeassociated with an audible news story, and the server 102 may use thedetermined attribute as a basis to select the set of audible newsstories from the group of audible news stories.

Also, as indicated above in connection with block 204, the method mayinvolve generating a playlist that includes references to each audiblenews story from the selected set of audible news stories. This mayinvolve the server 102 replacing placeholders of the playlist templatewith data representing the corresponding selected sets of audible newsstories, and thereby generating a playlist by “converting” the playlisttemplate into a playlist.

FIG. 4 shows a portion of an example playlist 400 that the server 102may generate after the server 102 selects the playlist template 300. Asshown, the generated playlist 400 include entries 402 a-c, 404 a-b, 406a-b, and 408 a-c, each of which is for a respective audible news storyand designates a respective reference and content category type. Forexample, entry 402 a designates a “Sports Story ID1,” with a referencein the form of “URL3” that may point to the server 102 and thatdesignates “ID1” as a query parameter or the like, and with a contentcategory type indication of “Sports.” Entry 402 b then designates a“Sports Story ID2,” with a reference in the form of “URL3” that maypoint to the server 102 and that designates “ID2” as a query parameter,and with a content category type indication of “Sports.” And entry 402 cdesignates a “Sports Story ID3,” with a reference in the form of “URL3”that may point to the server 102 and that designates “ID3” as a queryparameter, and with a content category type indication of “Sports.” Asshown, this portion of the playlist 400 may be referred to as the“Sports Segment.”

As another example, entry 404 a designates a “Politics Story ID4,” witha reference in the form of “URL3” that may point to the server 102 andthat designates “ID4” as a query parameter, and with a content categorytype indication of “Politics.” And entry 404 b designates a “PoliticsStory ID5,” with a reference in the form of “URL3” that may point to theserver 102 and that designates “ID5” as a query parameter, and with acontent category type indication of “Politics.” As shown, this portionof the playlist 400 may be referred to as the “Politics Segment.”

For brevity, FIG. 4 does not show additional entries after 408 c, but itshould be apparent that the server 102 may generate the remainder of theplaylist 400 using the techniques described above.

Upon receipt of the playlist 400 from the server 102, the client 104 maytraverse the entries and, one by one, request streaming of thereferenced media content items from the server 102, or one or more otherservers, and may receive and playout the requested media content itemsin the specified sequence, thereby playing out the news program.

As noted above, in some examples, the client 104 may retrieve datarepresenting a particular media content item that is not referenced inthe playlist, and may use the retrieved data to playout the particularmedia content item by inserting it into the news program at a particularposition in the news program. FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting acts thatcan be carried out in an example method related to this feature.

At block 502, the method involves the client 104 accessing a playlistdefining a sequence of media content items including a first mediacontent item and a second media content item. In one example, the server102 may transmit the playlist to the client 104. In such a case, theclient 104 accessing the playlist may involve the client 104 receivingthe playlist from the server 102. Also, in one example, the first andsecond media content items may be sequentially adjacent as defined bythe playlist.

At block 504, the method involves the client 104 retrieving from one ormore servers (e.g., the server 102), first data representing the mediacontent items of the accessed playlist, and using the retrieved firstdata to playout the media content items in accordance with the sequencedefined by the playlist.

At block 506, the method involves the client 104 determining a status ofan event, and using the determined status of the event as a basis todetermine a condition. In one particular example, the event may be asporting event such as a baseball game. The event may also have astatus. For example, a sporting event may have a status of being inprogress or not being in progress. As such, in one example the act ofdetermining the status of the event may involve determining whether ornot a sporting event is in progress. Other types of events and statusesare also possible.

In some instances, the client 104 may determine the status of an eventby communicating with one or more devices that provide information aboutthe event. For example, the client 104 may determine the status of asporting event by retrieving from a server data representing a currentstatus of the sporting event.

As indicated above, the client 104 may use a determined status of anevent as a basis to determine a condition. In one example, this mayinvolve the client 104 using mapping data (e.g., stored in the datastorage 122) to map the event to the condition. The condition may take avariety of forms and may be a complex condition that includes multiplesub-conditions. For example, a condition A may be that both condition Band condition C are satisfied. As another example, a condition D may bethat either condition E or condition F is satisfied. Other examples arepossible as well.

In one example, a condition (or sub-condition) may be that a separationbetween the first and second media content items is in a particularposition with respect to the sequence defined by the playlist. Asanother example, a condition may be that the client 104 has played outmedia content items of the playlist for a threshold duration (e.g., forat least ten minutes). As another example, a condition may be that athreshold duration (e.g., at least five minutes, or at least thirtyminutes) has passed since another media content item of the contentcategory type has been played out in connection with a separation inbetween the first and second media content items. As yet anotherexample, a condition may be that a threshold number of media contentitems related to the event have been played out in connection with aseparation in between media content items of the playlist. As yetanother example, a condition may be that a particular time is within aparticular time period range. As yet another example, a condition may bethat data representing a media content item related to the event isavailable for retrieval.

At block 508, the method involves the client 104 making a determinationthat the determined condition has been satisfied. And at block 510, themethod involves responsive to the determination being that thedetermined condition has been satisfied, the client 104 (i) retrievingsecond data representing a media content item related to the event, and(ii) using the retrieved second data to playout the media content itemrelated to the event in between playing out the first and second mediacontent items.

In some instances, at least one of (i) the client 104 determining thestatus of the event, (ii) the client 104 making the determination thatthe determined condition has been satisfied, and (iii) the client 104retrieving second data representing the media content item related tothe event, occurs while at least one of the media content itemsrepresented by the retrieved first data (e.g., the first media contentitem) is being played out. This may allow the client 104 to retrieve andplayout time-sensitive media while it still has a desired level of“freshness.” Also, it should be noted that the example method describedabove may be repeated multiple times such that multiple media contentitems are retrieved and played out in the manner described, but witheach of those media content items being played out at a different time.

To illustrate the method of FIG. 3, consider the following two examplesthat relate to a particular type of event, namely a baseball game. Forthese examples, it is assumed that at a first time, the game is inprogress, and at a second time, the game is concluded (i.e., the game isnot in progress).

In a first example, the client 104 may access a first playlist defininga sequence of media content items including a first media content itemand a second media content item. At the first time, the client 104 maydetermine that the game is in progress. The client 104 may the use thisdetermined status of the game as basis to determine a first condition,which may be a condition that at least five minutes have passed sinceanother media content item related to the game has been played out inconnection with a separation between media content items of theplaylist. The client 104 may then (assuming that the condition hasactually been satisfied) determine that the condition has beensatisfied, and in response, the client 104 may (i) retrieve datarepresenting a particular media content item providing a score of thegame, and (ii) use the retrieved data to playout the particular mediacontent item in between playing out the first and second media contentitems.

For comparison, in a second example, the client 104 may access a secondplaylist defining a sequence of media content items including a thirdmedia content item and a fourth media content item. At the second time,the client 104 may determine that the game is not in progress. Theclient 104 may the use this determined status of the game as basis todetermine a second condition, which may be a condition that at leastthirty minutes have passed since another media content item related tothe game has been played out in connection with a separation betweenmedia content items of the playlist. The client 104 may then (assumingthat the condition has actually been satisfied) determine that thecondition has been satisfied, and in response, the client may (i)retrieve data representing a particular media content item providing ascore of the game, and (ii) use the retrieved data to playout theparticular media content item in between playing out the third andfourth media content items.

As illustrated by the two examples above, the client 104 may use thestatus of the baseball game as a basis to determine when it will insertinto a sequence of media content items, a media content item providing ascore of the game. Indeed, according to these examples, if the game isin progress, the client 104 may insert the media content item providingthe score more frequently than if the game is not in progress. This maybe appealing to a user who may prefer to receive score information morefrequently while the game is in progress.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart depicting functions that can be carried out inanother example method. At block 602, the method involves the server 102accessing a playlist defining a sequence of media content itemsincluding a first media content item and a second media content item.The server 102 may access the playlist from the data storage 112, forexample.

At block 604, the method involves the server 104 determining a status ofan event, and using the determined status of the event as a basis todetermine a condition. And at block 606, the method involves the server102 making a determination that the condition has been satisfied. And atblock 608, the method involves responsive to the determination beingthat each condition in the condition set has been satisfied, the server102 (i) retrieving second data representing a media content item relatedto the event, and (ii) transmitting to the client 102, the retrievedsecond data for playout of the media content item related to the eventin between playing out the first and second media content items.

IV. Example Variations

The variations described in connection with select examples of thedisclosed system and method may be applied to all other examples of thedisclosed system and method.

Further, while one or more acts have been described as being performedby or otherwise related to certain devices or entities (e.g., the server102 or the client 104), the acts may be performed by or otherwiserelated to any device or entity. As such, any function that has beendescribed as being performed by the server 102 could alternatively beperformed by a different server or by the client 104.

Further, the acts need not be performed in the disclosed order, althoughin some examples, an order may be preferred. Also, not all acts need tobe performed to achieve the desired advantages of the disclosed systemand method, and therefore not all acts are required.

Also, while the disclosed methods have been described principally inconnection with providing a personalized news program, the methods maybe applied in connection with other applications or environments.

While select examples of the disclosed system and method have beendescribed, alterations and permutations of these examples will beapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Other changes,substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing fromthe disclosed system and method in its broader aspects as set forth inthe following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: accessing, by a clientdevice, a playlist defining a sequence of media content items includinga first media content item and a second media content item, wherein thefirst and second media content items are immediately adjacent to eachother in the defined sequence; using the accessed playlist, requestingand receiving, by the client device, from one or more server devices,first data representing the media content items of the accessedplaylist, and using the received first data to playout the media contentitems; and while playing out at least one of the media content itemsrepresented by the received first data: (a) determining, by the clientdevice, a status of an event, and using, by the client device, thedetermined status of the event as a basis to determine a condition,wherein the condition corresponds to a relationship between a contentcategory type and respective content category types of at least one ofthe media content items that has been played out; (b) making, by theclient device, a determination that the determined condition has beensatisfied; and (c) responsive to making the determination that thedetermined condition has been satisfied, (i) requesting and receiving,by the client device, from the one or more server devices, second datarepresenting a media content item that is related to the event and thatis not specified in the accessed playlist, and (ii) using, by the clientdevice, the retrieved second data to playout the media content itemrelated to the event in between playing out the first and second mediacontent items.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises asporting event, and wherein determining the status of the eventcomprises determining whether or not the sporting event is in progress.3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined condition comprises acondition that a threshold duration has passed since another mediacontent item related to the event has been played out in connection witha separation between media content items of the playlist.
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein the determined condition comprises a condition thata threshold number of media content items related to the event have beenplayed out in connection with a separation in between media contentitems of the playlist.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein using theaccessed playlist, requesting and receiving, by the client device, fromone or more server devices, first data representing the media contentitems of the accessed playlist, and using the received first data toplayout the media content items comprises: traversing, by the clientdevice, the accessed playlist; and for each media content item of themedia content items, requesting and receiving, by the client device,from the one or more server devices, data representing the media contentitem, and using the received data to playout the media content item. 6.A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon programinstructions that when executed by a processor cause performance of aset of acts comprising: accessing a playlist defining a sequence ofmedia content items including a first media content item and a secondmedia content item, wherein the first and second media content items areimmediately adjacent to each other in the defined sequence; using theaccessed playlist, requesting and receiving, from one or more serverdevices, first data representing the media content items of the accessedplaylist, and using the received first data to playout the media contentitems; and while playing out at least one of the media content itemsrepresented by the received first data: (a) determining a status of anevent, and using the determined status of the event as a basis todetermine a condition, wherein the condition corresponds to arelationship between a content category type and respective contentcategory types of at least one of the media content items that has beenplayed out; (b) making a determination that the determined condition hasbeen satisfied; and (c) responsive to making the determination that thedetermined condition has been satisfied, (i) requesting and receiving,from the one or more server devices, second data representing a mediacontent item that is related to the event and that is not specified inthe accessed playlist, and (ii) using the retrieved second data toplayout the media content item related to the event in between playingout the first and second media content items.
 7. The computer-readablemedium of claim 6, wherein the event comprises a sporting event, andwherein determining the status of the event comprises determiningwhether or not the sporting event is in progress.
 8. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the determined conditioncomprises a condition that a threshold duration has passed since anothermedia content item related to the event has been played out inconnection with a separation between media content items of theplaylist.
 9. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein thedetermined condition comprises a condition that a threshold number ofmedia content items related to the event have been played out inconnection with a separation in between media content items of theplaylist.
 10. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein using theaccessed playlist, requesting and receiving, from one or more serverdevices, first data representing the media content items of the accessedplaylist, and using the received first data to playout the media contentitems comprises: traversing the accessed playlist; and for each mediacontent item of the media content items, requesting and receiving, fromthe one or more server devices, data representing the media contentitem, and using the received data to playout the media content item. 11.A method comprising: accessing, by a server device, a playlist defininga sequence of media content items including a first media content itemand a second media content item, wherein the first and second mediacontent items are immediately adjacent to each other in the definedsequence, wherein a client device is configured to use the accessedplaylist to request, from the server device, first data representing themedia content items of the accessed playlist, wherein the server deviceis configured to transmit the first data to the client device inresponse to the request, and wherein the client device is furtherconfigured to use the first data received from the server device toplayout the media content items; and while a client device is playingout at least one of the media content items: (a) determining, by theserver device, a status of an event, and using, by the server device,the determined status of the event as a basis to determine a condition,wherein the condition corresponds to a relationship between a contentcategory type and respective content category types of at least one ofthe media content items that has been played out; (b) making, by theserver device, a determination that the determined condition has beensatisfied; and (c) responsive to making the determination that thedetermined condition has been satisfied, (i) retrieving, by the serverdevice, second data representing a media content item that is related tothe event and that is not specified in the accessed playlist, and (ii)transmitting, by the server device, to the client device, the retrievedsecond data for playout of the media content item related to the eventin between playing out the first and second media content items.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the event comprises a sporting event, andwherein determining the status of the event comprises determiningwhether or not the sporting event is in progress.
 13. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the determined condition comprises a condition that athreshold duration has passed since another media content item relatedto the event has been played out in connection with a separation betweenmedia content items of the playlist.
 14. The method of claim 11, whereinthe determined condition comprises a condition that a threshold numberof media content items related to the event have been played out inconnection with a separation in between media content items of theplaylist.